LONGBOARDING SPEED SCENE

The art of speed longboarding, like all other gravity disciplines, go back to the 1975-1978 Signal Hill Speed Runs. This is where speed longboarding originated. The greats, like Guy Grundy, Cliff Coleman, "Waldo" Autry, John Hughes, Jamie Hart, Mike Goldman, John Hutson, and Bob Biniak just to name a few. In 1978, at the Speed Runs, Bob Biniak laid down a 63 mph pass. Impressive, considering what technology was then. In the early 80's a few aero boards showed up. Rick Ick of Badlands built one and Kurt Kimble was the rider.

Longboarding was basically an underground sport in it's infancy. The sport finally broke the skin of the mainstream in the 1990's when Sector 9 started mass producing and selling longboards. The 90's also saw new technology in trucks, such as, reverse kingpins, making the boards more user friendly at higher speeds. The longboard was here to stay.

Kurt Kimble Early 80's

Through the years, longboarding has evolved into freeriding and the high speed thrill of downhill. Names like Biker Sherlock, Lee Dansie, the Rogers Bros., kept the sport alive up to and after the turn of the century With the advancement of deck and truck technology, now, in 2014, a whole new fast pack is on the scene. James Kelly, Zak Maytum, Mateus Cavinato, Carlos Guto Paixao, Jimmy Riha, Kyle Wester, and the list goes on and on. The longboarding community has never witnessed the ability or control these guys exhibited at the mach speeds they were achieving. Incredible was an understatement!

Longboard Speed Merchant, Zak Maytum

mischo erban

One of the fastest skateboard speeds achieved in a standing position is 130.08 km/h (80.83 mph) and was achieved by Mischo Erban (Canada), age 27, at an undisclosed location in Colorado, USA on Sept. 30 2010. The record attempt took place on the road descending at more than a 12% grade. The speed run was measured using a Tag-Heuer speed trap timing equipment with IGSA official, Gary Fluitt, verifying the run. The WGSA recognized this speed run as the true world speed record because of their proper verification and documentation.

Erban, on June 18, 2012 in Canada, had tried to better his world record but came up just shy by less than one tenth of a mph of doing so. Impressive! Mischo did set a Guinness Record that day of 80.74 mph (129.94 km/h) at Les Eboulements, Erban had proven he was one of the true gravity speed kings

Mischo Erban

eric lundberg

Then on May 31, 2016, Erik Lundberg beat Mischo Erban's world record that was set on Sept 2010 in Colorado and the Canadian Guinness record of 2012. Erban had set the record with a run of 130.08 km/h 80.83 mph. Lundberg had now upped the Longboard Classic world record by throwing down a pass of 130.63 km/h 81.16 mph at Les Eboulements in Canada. The run was verified and witnessed by Red Bull and recognized to be official by the WGSA. The run beat Erban's by .55 km/h .34 mph! Eric Lundberg was now the reigning skateboard speed champ and new WGSA Longboard Classic world record holder. This record run was accomplished in accordance with WGSA Longboard Classic rules which do not allow the use of any aerodynamics. Impressive!

Eric Lundberg

Lundberg's WGSA Record: 81.16 MPH!

Kyle Wester

The world's fastest ultimate skateboard record was set on Aug. 29, 2016 by longboard speed demon, Kyle Wester (USA). The fastest recorded longboard speed had been set by Eric Lundberg only 3 months earlier when Wester would lay claim to it. With the high altitude and perfect weather conditions, Wester using leg aero work, riding in the WGSA Longboard Unlimited class, would stun the longboard world, exceeding the speed run by Eric Lundberg at 130.63 km/h 81.16 mph by unbelievable, 10 percent! Kyle would post this WGSA Longboard Unlimited world record speed of 143.89 km/h 89.41 mph on his high altitude pass in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Kyle Wester had proven to the gravity speed world he is without a doubt the FASTEST speed merchant on a skateboard. The WGSA would like to congratulate Kyle Wester on his incredible speed achievement and his new WGSA Longboard Unlimited world record. Question, will Kyles Wester be the first longboarder to break the next longboard barrier ........ 90 MPH! GO FAST

Kyle Wester (USA) on his record pass

Kyle Wester WGSA Longboard Unlimited world record holder: 89.41 MPH

carlos Guto paixao 2016 l'ultime descente

On September, 9 - 11, 2016, the first gravity speed event of the 21st century would occur on the fastest gravity road in the world, Les Eboulements, Canada, the event, the 2016 L'Ultime Descente. With longboards one of the disciplines featured, it would attract the worlds fastest of the fast longboarders. The current Longboard Unlimited world record holder, Kyle Wester was in attendance along with Longboard Classic world record holder, Eric Lundberg, who would be trying to defend his title. The three day event in Quebec, Canada would yield some of the fastest speed recordings in longboarding history.

Day one for the boarders was spent acclimating to the road and equipment. Speeds were big but not record breaking. Day two was time to throw down and proved to be the fastest. With the baro pressure up from Friday, the fast 10 pack still managed to all run in the 128.74 km/h 80 mph plus range. Carlos Guto Paixao would record the longboard top speed for the event and a new WGSA Longboard Classic world record, with a blistering pass of 137.02 km/h 85.14 mph with no aerodynamics! This would be a new Les Eboulements longboard speed record, an amazing feat considering the low corrected altitude for the day. Day three would basically be a wash for a world record because of a cold front that came thru with wind and rain. The whole day was plagued with nasty headwinds and crosswinds making any type of big speed numbers out of the question. Carlos however did make one pass on Sunday thru the beams at 131.50 km/h 81.87 mph.

For the event weekend, seven riders would run faster than Lundberg's record and all were within striking distance of Paixao. However, Carlos had always found that little more out on the hill and was able to out run the pack by just 1.52 km/h .95 mph ahead of the nearest competitor, Mateus Cavinato (BRA).

The WGSA congratulates event winner and new WGSA Mens Longboard Classic world record holder, Carlos Guto Paixao for his awesome speed accomplishment at the 2016 L'Ultime Descente. GO FAST

womens longboard race to the record

On a steep piece of pavement along the St. Lawrence River, a classic dual between two of the world’s fastest women longboarders would take place. The matchup would transpire at the 2016 L’Ultime Descente ultimate speed challenge in Les Eboulements, QC Canada. The road, a mere kilometer in length, had proven to be the fastest road in the gravity world. Roll off starts at 10% and intensifies to 13% at halftrack, then falls off the earth with a sprint to the speed trap on a 18 percent grade!

The two competitors, Emily Pross (US) and Cassandra Duchesne (CAN), both experienced longboarders, are known among their peers as two of the fastest women on the planet. Since no official women's world record had been recognized, one of these two downhill divas would set the bar and go down in the history books as longboards fastest first lady

Emily Pross (US)

Cassandra Duchesne (CAN)

Friday, the first day of speed sessions, the weather was excellent, sunny with calm winds and a thin air baro pressure of 29.94 Hg. Duchesne right out of the gate on her first pass would post a remarkable speed of 116.89 km/h 72.32 mph. Cassandra had just served notice that Pross would have her work cut for her. Pross would start out the day tip-toeing down the hill acclimating to her equipment and searching for the fast lane. She would increase her speed game throughout the day’s sessions. Duchesne meant serious business, she would in the 70’s with each pass, with a second lap posting of an incredible 118.06 km/h 73.35 mph! Pross on her final effort of the day, would stop the timers with an impressive 116.19 km/h 72.19 mph ! The great women’s speed race was on!

women's longboard Friday session

Saturday was speed day for the event because of a front that would come through with wind and rain blowing Sunday out of any real chance of a world record attempt. Saturday’s weather was great however the air did thicken a bit with 30.04 Hg. Pross knew she would have to bring her best speed game because of Duchesne strong performances the day before. Emily “The PROSSecutor” had found her line and was now in the speed zone.

With both riders laying down big speeds all registering in the 70’s, it would turn out to be an epic mph battle between the two. Cassandra was bringing it, upping her speed stats with each round applying serious pressure to force Emily to search for any kind of mph that was left out there on the road. Pross would answer by finding that little more on each pass. At the end of the speed war, Emily Pross had posted a top speed of 123.18 km/h 76.54 mph, outrunning Cassandra Duchesne by just a mere 1.36 km/h .85 mph for the record and the title! The two had also placed 19th and 22nd respectively in the L’Ultime Descente 38 rider field in which the rest of the competitors were men. An amazing achievement by both.

The World Gravity Speed Association would like to congratulate Emily Pross on her outstanding speed achievement as the world's fastest woman's longboarder and the WGSA's new Women's Longboard Classic world record holder. Congratulations Emily GO FAST